Cutting boards come in all shapes and sizes, and you likely have one you love and cherish, or maybe just some scrappy old thing sitting vertically at the edge of your kitchen pots cabinet.
Either way, upgrading a cutting board can really reinvigorate your cooking (especially if you pair it with a solid cooking book). Essential to your cutting board is the ability to cut whatever you want on it and to do so without cross-contaminating foods. You don’t want any (ultimately delicious) steak blood seeping into your salad. Then you, of course, want a board that will last long, is easy to use, and looks great in your kitchen (and maybe even on your kitchen island).
There are basically three foundational types of cutting board on which you can use your well-sharpened, favorite chef’s knife or any other.
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Plastic Cutting Boards
The most versatile of the bunch is the most popular, too. Plastic cutting boards are dishwasher safe, oftentimes more affordable than the others, lightweight, offer many color options, and are all-in-all easier to use. But they also wear down faster and scratch up more quickly (let us all take a moment to picture a used plastic cutting board, its center pulpy with hanging, shredded plastic bits that leave it soft to the touch).
Each of OXO’s highly-rated and best selling plastic cutting boards are double-sided so you can just flip that baby over and start cutting on the other side — they’re non-porous and odor-resistant, too. My favorite feature is the no-slip edges of each of the boards, keeping them from surfing down tomato juice and out of your grip.
Bamboo Cutting Boards
Bamboo cutting boards are also ubiquitous and popular and can be just as safe as plastic boards if constructed accordingly. They also look so much better than the others, in my opinion. With a wooden top to my kitchen island, the bamboo cutting board I use accentuates it very well (but here and there, when no one’s looking, I sometimes grab our large, plastic cutting board and get chopping).
This best selling bamboo cutting board is designed with three inset compartments for various diced piles you might want or need to get out of the way. Its juice grooves along the perimeter of the cutting board look good before they’re filled with said juice and you’ll be thankful they exist when they are.
Wood Cutting Boards
The real beauties of the cutting board world are the wooden boards, allowing companies to use various grains and densities to create highly functional and efficient cutting boards with a sharp eye on their design. These slabs belong where you entertain, where you hope to entertain, and where you entertain yourself.
Dalstrong’s best selling lionswood cutting board is gorgeous. The tropical teak wood is sustainably sourced and stands above gathering juices and contaminants. With this kind of board beneath your knife, the possibilities of your culinary creation are endless — and captivating.
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